Nightingale
by BaSingTei
Summary: Post book three. Korra is having nightmares and Mako comes to comfort her. (Makorra) Rated Mature - WC 2,520 One shot


Nightingale - for spiritarmtaur

The screaming was what he waited for. Every night. Every night since her return to the temple she screamed and every night it wasn't him taking care of her. Until tonight. It was his turn to make sure she was okay, when they all knew she wasn't. They at first were taking turns just between her parents, Pema, Kya, and Asami. But as much as they cared about Korra it was exhausting to take care of someone so mentally broken.

He was sleeping on her floor, watching her thrash in her sleep. Well, if you could call it thrashing. Her limbs couldn't move well but what little movement was being made was out of fear. Her screams were out of sheer terror, her voice sounding strangled and crying out. Usually it was intelligible. Tonight, she's screaming words.

"STOP. STOP. STOP. STOP IT! THE WORLD STILL NEEDS ME! YOU'RE WRONG!" She screamed in her sleep and the covers are skewed off of her. Mako is up instantly at her cries and caresses Korra's face.

"Korra, wake up!"

" STOP PLEASE CAN'T WIN! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! I AM THE AVATAR. I AM NEEDED."

"Korra, sweetie, wake up!" Mako says and the endearing term slips out but right now he doesn't care. She's in pain and he needs to make it stop. He shakes her awake and she opens her eyes, wide and full of fright as if she wasn't dreaming at all, like it was all real. Her breathing is ragged and she can't focus on anything, her eyes running all over the room.

"Korra, it's me. You're safe."

She looks to him and almost sees right through him. Her eyes dilate slightly and she sees his golden irises that are so familiar and so much home that her own fill with tears.

"Mako?" Her voice cracked and her lips quivered, trying to hold back the flood.

"It's okay. You're alright."

She griped his tank top and with what little strength she has pulls him down, his forehead to hers. The touch of someone else's skin helps her to pull out of the nightmare. That she is there, in her room, and not in the cavern being tortured. Mako closes his eyes and although Korra is silent, he can feel the shaking of her sobs. Mako pulls back and puts his arms under her body, moving her over so he can lay next to her. When he slips into the bed with her Mako cradled Korra's body to his chest. Korra buried her face into his chest and sobbed out her fears, just a few sniffs every now and then audible. Mako held her the whole time, rubbing her back and not asking questions. He understood her fears and that questions would make it worse.

Eventually her well ran dry and her body stilled, her breathing returning to normal. She was so quiet for so long Mako thought she was sleep. He kissed her hair softly and readied himself to sleep in her bed.

"So, are we doing this again? Us?" She whispered and he blushed.

"I-uh, I thought you were sleep." He stuttered. "I'm sorry."

With effort she moved and looked up at him. Her face was blank but inside her heart was fluttering.

"It's okay. It made me feel… good." She said and sounded confused, like she had forgotten there was other ways to feel besides empty and terrified. "Can you do it again?"

Mako nodded and kissed her forehead as tenderly as he could. Her eyes closed as his lips lingered on her skin and she inhaled. Something didn't change. Like how much her heart pounded when he kissed her and how he always smelled like mahogany and ash in the best way. He pulled away and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Is that a smile?" He asked in the dorkiest way possible, making her smile more pronounced.

"It is. Wow, I didn't know you could do that anymore." He joked and she let out a small laugh. This is something she treasured about him. He didn't walk on eggshells around her. He didn't baby her or ignore that she has been acting differently.

Mako was determined to keep her smiling. He hated seeing her scarred or empty. He kissed her cheeks and her nose and she giggled.

"Stop, I'm covered in sweat and tears."

"That's never stopped me before." He smiled and kissed her face all over until she was full out laughing. And even though laughing hurt her body, it was a good kind of hurt. Mako didn't think about boundaries and lowered his head, pressing his lips against hers. She didn't hesitate it give life to the kiss, no matter how weak she seemed. Mako stopped and pulled back, looking down at her. She smiled and her eyes had a spark of challenge that he hadn't seen in a while.

"Its okay. Please…" She asked sweetly. How could he resist. He kissed her again and a spark ignited between them that he hadn't felt in a long time. In the back of his mind he was ultra aware of her body against his and trying not to think thought he shouldn't, but when she bit his lip it was hard to hold onto sanity. He framed her face and kissed her a little deeper than before, tasting her at last. She sighed against his tongue and the back of his neck got hot. Her tongue slipped against his and it was over, he was lost in her. He slowly rolled her on her back and hovered over her and she let out a little moan. He pulled back and looked around.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." She said with a small smile.

Mako shook his head.

"We shouldn't do this."

"Why?"

"I just don't think it's good timing." He said and frowned.

"Mako, I need this." She said softly and he looked back into her eyes. She was feeling so good for the first time since the red lotus incident and she didn't want it to stop.

"Please. You're actually helping me. More than you know."

He was silent and looked away from her pleading eyes. It was so hard to say no to her. Korra took her hand and framed his face, pulling his eyes back to hers. Gold met cyan and they were tied to each other.

"I love you, Mako. I always will."

He exhaled and closed his eyes, turning his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

"And I love you. I promised, didn't I?" He whispered against her skin.

"Then can we forget everything right now? Forget about this terrible situation I'm in and forget everything that is outside these walls. Can you just be here for me tonight?"

He kissed her wrist and made a trail to the inside of her arm and exhaled again. He looked back up to her and realized saying now was not an option.

"Just promise that the second something hurts, you will tell me."

She nodded.

"Promise me Korra." He demanded.

"I promise I will tell you if I am in pain."

She didn't tell him what he already knew, that she was always in pain.

He leaned down and took her lips in his own, echoing the fire they used to share. Her body was still weak so she let her arms rest on her pillow, biting his lip to pull him down deeper. Before long he was lost in her taste again, all tongues and teeth and short breaths. He fell back into an old pattern. His mouth moved to the side of her neck and licked her skin clean of her salt, his lips closing round that spot that made her ask for more. She arched her neck and let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes and biting her lip.

Mako didn't get the reaction he was hoping for so his hand strayed up her shirt, running his palm over her breast. She moaned softly and her body reacted just how he wanted, her backing giving a nice arch. His hands on her body made her feel whole, full. Not like she was porcelain like she had so frequently. She wanted to dig her nails into his back, grab tufts of her hair. She didn't think she could but her body said otherwise, her arms effortlessly holding him closer. Mako's teeth grazed her skin and she made a noise he was familiar with and his blood rushed under his skin. They hadn't done this in so long but everything was the same. Their bodies were speaking to each other. And he could read her like a book.

Mako moved his hands down her body and slipped her sleep pants off her legs with effort, putting them aside and coming back over her. Before her body could miss the contact his hand dug under her panty line and his fingers searched for what she wanted. He kissed her again and she was feverish, steamy breath mixing with his own as he touched her folds. Her nails dug into him and she shuddered under him, licking his lips and sucking on his tongue. He circled her favorite spot and a high pitched whine came from her as she threw her head back. He forgot how beautiful making love was. Her eyes were closed but her emotion was clear; she wanted more and was still too stubborn to ask for it.

He smiled and went down further, tracing the outside of her entrance. She bucked her hips, his finger coming back wet.

"Mako." She rasped and pushed her hips against his hand again. She was trying to say what she wanted without actually saying it. He wouldn't deny her. He sunk his finger into her and the friction was pure bliss. He felt her stretching and gripping all round him and he bit his lip this time, the back of his neck feeling hot. He remembered how it felt to be inside of her. How tight her grip could be. How the friction was never hard enough, never fast enough. And he reminded himself he needed to be gentle no matter how much of her he wanted. He slipped another finger inside and she moaned his name this time, another drug that he was addicted to.

He nudged her shirt up with his teeth until his tongue could find her dark buds. He didn't hesitate when he found what he was looking for, sucking on her mound with the fiery roughness that he used to. She stuttered out his name again and all the blood rushed to his groin. He stopped sucking and pulled his fingers out. Korra was about to protest but he pulled her panties down to her ankles and she moved so they fell off her feet. He hovered over her and pulled himself out of his boxers, placing himself at her wet entrance. He let out a shaky breath and tried to remember to control himself.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

He nodded too and slowly pushed into her tightness. He let out a moan halfway in, finding it hard to control himself when she was beneath him pushing up. he pushed further and buried himself into her and was still, feeling her hips move around him.

"Korra, you can't move."

"It doesn't hurt, I promise."

"If you move, you're going to get hurt. Please just… be still."

She sighed and used her muscles to give him an extra squeeze.

"I'll try."

He let out another unsteady breath and started a painfully slow rhythm. Memories were nothing compared to the here and now. Mako wondered if she was tighter than he remembered, Korra felt he was bigger. The reality was neither. Being separated for so long made it feel that much more exquisite. He pulsed inside her and pushed her open further with each thrust. She wanted to scream for more but she didn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention. The most she could let out was a sound like a cry and a moan mixed together.

Keeping a slow rhythm was so hard. He wanted so much of her. He wanted to go faster, this fiction wasn't enough. Korra pushed up and kept meeting him and he was frustrated at her but he also wanted it.

"Korra." He let fall off his lips, grabbing her hips and pushing a little harder.

"Mako, faster."

He hesitated but they both wanted it. His body decided for him, picking up the pace.

"Yes yes, faster…" She moaned and gripped her pillow, arching her back. She didn't feel any pain, her endorphins were erasing all the pain in her body. Mako was healing her, even if it was temporary.

Her commendation almost had him undone. His fingers dug into her skin and her legs somehow gripped around him.

"Korra…" he moaned and felt himself building up inside. he took his fingers and licked then, tasting her salty juices, and lowered his hand, playing with her clit. It took everything she had not to scream. She was so pent up. She felt like the room was on fire. He knew just how to get her going. He knew her body. His hands were fluent. She felt herself building inside.

"Mako, please… don't stop…"

He groaned and went faster than he had planned, feeling completely out of control. Korra took in a sharp breath and she felt like her blood was boiling, on the very edge. Mako was about to erupt.

"Korra! I-" He couldn't finish his sentence. He pounded into her with complete disregard to her condition. He rammed into her buried spot and she cried out his name, arching her back more than she should have. They both fell over the edge together, louder than either would ever admit.

Mako slowed his thrusts to a stop and tried to steady his breathing, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He looked down at Korra and she was wearing a satisfied smile. He leaned down and kissed her lovingly and softly. She hummed against his lips and he pulled back to see watch her come off her high. She smiled again, that crooked grin he loved.

"Mind redressing me?"

"Sure." He said and pulled out of her. Dressing her didn't take long and he lay next to her again, curling her to him. He held her in his arms for a while, content to fall asleep like that. Until she was shaking again. he looked down, terrified that he would find her crying but she was smiling. She was laughing actually.

"What's so funny?"

"You were so loud." She laughed and looked up to him. "I'm pretty sure the whole island knows what you just did.

"What we just did and hey! You were louder."

"I don't think so, Officer."

They smiled and shared another kiss.

"Just hold me until I fall back asleep okay?"

He nodded and she lay back down, falling sleep much faster with him there.


End file.
